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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26477674">Mike</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emu_Mosh_Veteran/pseuds/Emu_Mosh_Veteran'>Emu_Mosh_Veteran</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Lottery of Consequences [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Blaseball (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Gen, Swearing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:55:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26477674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emu_Mosh_Veteran/pseuds/Emu_Mosh_Veteran</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike Townsend receives an unexpected guest at his new bakery.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Lottery of Consequences [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924867</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mike</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“. . . Yeah Abbott, I’ll see what I can do about making a trip out to visit NaN, the kid has some real talent. Hell, it’d make my day. Alright, see you around too, and take care.”</p><p>Mike Townsend smiled softly at the receiver as his far more terse and rude team mate hung up on him. He was standing in the kitchen of his newly built bakery, marveling at the direction his life had taken after so long on the pitcher's mound, hucking balls. It wasn’t much, a small hole in the wall thing he’d built with the hazard and injury pay from his team. . .</p><p>His former team. He grimaced as he corrected himself mentally. He clutched his pitching arm to his chest for a moment, closing his eyes and sighing.</p><p>The doctors had said that physically, everything in his arm was fine, and that mechanically he should be able to pitch just as well as he always had been able to. And the Medical Wizard hadn’t managed to scry anything out of the ordinary either. He was working with a psychiatrist at the moment now, under the assumption that it was some sort of block he’d brought back with him out of the void. He couldn’t remember much, like everyone else, except the egg and the urgent, pressing, demanding need to bring it back. And then Jaylen, sprawled out on the turf, paramedics swarming around her as the team picked themselves up and stared in wonder. It had been pretty easy to slip out when no one was looking, once he knew Jaylen was in good hands.</p><p>Another sigh, this one more wry as he considered that as things went, this was one of the better ways of leaving the league there was. There was a knock at the counter then, and he looked out with a smile on his face that almost instantly faltered then brightened immeasurably.</p><p>“Hey Mike.” Jaylen Hotdogfingers smiled, taking off her cap and running her fingers through her hair. “Been a while hasn’t it?</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>It wasn’t long before they were sat at one of the small tables that Mike was using for his customers, the closed sign up so they wouldn’t be disturbed as they talked, a steaming apple tart and a cup of coffee on the table for both of them.</p><p>“So, I see you’ve gotten this place pretty nicely set up.” Jaylen grinned as she looked about, taking in the immaculate new store and workspace.</p><p>Mike chuckled in return, nodding almost embarrassedly. “Yeah, it turned out pretty good! I’d been saving for a pretty good while now, and with the money I got in hazard and injury pay. . . .” he stopped at that, frowning and rubbing his pitching arm. Jaylen saw the movement and flinched, eyes flickering away guiltily.</p><p>They were silent for a while then, both of them knowing what they actually needed to talk about, but unable to bring themselves to do it. Mike was the first to break the awkward spell.</p><p>“Look, Jaylen, do you have any idea how long it’s been since I last saw you?” He asked, looking out the window at the cars passing by.</p><p>“I. . . . no, not really.” Jaylen murmured softly, shrugging as she cupped her coffee and let it warm her hands, the sensation still strange for some unnerving reason as the pleasant heat tingled on the edge of her touch.</p><p>
  <em>Unnatural more like.</em>
</p><p>She shook the thought from her head as she looked up at Mike when he started speaking again.</p><p>“You were gone for so long Jaylen, losing you really carved a chunk out of our hearts, you know what I mean?” He glanced at her with a teary eyed smile. “After that, the other incineration's . . . “ He held back again as the old pains from the lost flooded through him. “You were always the first loss though, the hardest. You were such a big part of the team.”</p><p>“You and Teddy certainly made it feel like that.” Jaylen grinned lopsidedly in return. It faded away almost as quickly as it appeared though, as Jaylen collected herself and worded what she had to say next carefully. “Mike, when I woke up on the field, after you pulled me from. . . wherever, why’d you leave so soon?”</p><p>Mike grimaced and sniffed, tears falling just for a moment as the question hung between them. It hadn’t been his proudest moment, that’s for sure, and he’d often wondered why he didn’t stay himself. He’d be so ecstatic himself, at least at first, but somehow it had quickly turned sour, despite how hard he’d work towards bringing her back as well.</p><p>“You know,” he started, slowly finding the words he felt he needed to say,”I’ll never really be able to say for sure? I was happy, so happy you were back, I thought my heart was going to leap from my chest. But uh. . . the more and more I thought about it, I couldn’t really bring myself to meet you after everything. I’m sorry about that, I truly am.”</p><p>Jaylen surprised him then, reaching out and taking his hand fiercely, a fiery look in her eyes. “No, listen to me Mike, you got nothing to be sorry for. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you, the way the Band treats you some days, but getting shoved into a portal just so they can replace you with me? That’s sick Mike, sicker than anything I can imagine, and I am sorry that it happened to you. I’m just glad you came out of it alright.” She was breathless saying it, a gasping grief lurking in her chest at an old friend being so carelessly tossed aside for her just because she could do something better.</p><p>Except it wasn’t what happened. “Jaylen, They didn’t force me.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“They didn’t force me Jaylen, I volunteered. I voted to bring you back, and then I volunteered to go and get you.” He was gentle with the words, but Jaylen still rocked back with the words as though slapped.</p><p>“Goddammit Mike, why!?” she asked in shock.</p><p>“Because we could dammit! You were taken from us by these shitty, fucked up gods and we had a chance to get you back!” The former pitcher replied intensely, squeezing her hand back just as fiercely and reassuringly.</p><p>“Then. . . why don’t. . . we have practice all the time. . . you’re never. . . . “ Jaylen started stammering, confusion creasing her face.</p><p>“I uh. . . ever since we brought you back, you see. . . I can’t . . . pitch.” Mike mumbled, ashamed and embarrassed at what had happened.</p><p>And a little angry himself too, if he was honest.</p><p>“Almost the minute you came out of that shell, something in me felt off, like I just couldn’t huck it like I used to. It was so sudden and so surprising, and I just knew it had something to do with bringing you back. I got scared, then I got angry, then I just felt ashamed about all of it. This moment, you back, and all I could think about was that I couldn’t pitch anymore. I uh. . . I couldn’t bear it, so I just left.” He was downcast at the words, struggling to say it almost. “I’m so sorry Jaylen. I am so, so sorry.”</p><p>They both sat back then, letting go of each other as they processed what had just been said. Jaylen was still so angry about it all, the resurrection, feeling completely not in control of her life, about hurting people in the game she loved. And now this, the only person, the only friend she had thought might have been just as helpless as herself telling her that he had had more agency in this than she did. The worst part of it was that she couldn’t bring herself to hate him for this, not after she had just essentially called him spineless.</p><p>“I. . . I really have been gone for a while haven’t I?” She grinned weakly at Mike, who returned it about as weakly. “I’d honestly thought you were the same old Mike, the one we’d lock out of the dugout or the locker room for kicks now and again. God, we treated you so bad. And yet here you are, after growing into your own and then just. . . giving it all up for me. Choosing to do so.”</p><p>Mike shrugged, laughing. “I’ll be honest, none of us knew what to expect! But I think we were all ready to trade it in if we had to, you know, it could have been any of us, not just me. But it was. I’m alive, of course, but. . . . It would have been easier, maybe, if it had just been a simple trading of places?” Jaylen pales at that, and tries to say something, but Mike plows ahead, “But instead I lose the ability to pitch? What bullshit is that?! I won’t lie Jaylen, I’m angry sometimes when I think about it, I am. All the work I put into getting better at this and in a moment it is gone because all I wanted to do was save a friend.”</p><p>They’re silent then, grieving together for everything that has happened.</p><p>“I am glad you’re back Jaylen. Don’t ever doubt that. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”</p><p>“I won’t Mike, and I won’t forget what you did. Everything you did. For me and the others. You’re a good goddamn friend Mike, and a credit to the team.”</p>
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